San Diego is witnessing a renewed interest in public transportation, as evidenced by a significant increase in the use of the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). As reported by the Metropolitan Transit System, the previous fiscal year ending in June 2024 saw a 10% bump in ridership figures compared to the year before, with 75,663,343 recorded passenger trips. MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember, District 3, Stephen Whitburn, attributed this upwelling to the “partnership between riders and the dedicated MTS staff and Board of Directors to improve transit for our region”. At the same time, CEO Sharon Cooney pointed out factors like less telecommuting, the cost-effectiveness of public transit, and inflation as the driving forces behind the decision for more residents to deliberately ride the MTS.
Notable growth can be seen in the numbers as youth ridership especially soared, showing a 22.7% increase from the previous year. According to the MTS, their Youth Opportunity Pass program alone accounted for 6,839,876 trips by over 113,000 users. Other highlights include thirteen bus routes experiencing over 20% increases in ridership and eight routes hitting the million-trip mark. October 2023 was the highest month for ridership in Fiscal Year 2024, with close to 7 million passenger trips. Despite a marked dip amid the pandemic, MTS currently boasts commendable numbers reaching up to 90% of pre-pandemic ridership levels, partially due to an uptick in security measures and introducing a new Bus Rapid Network route.
Nevertheless, MTS isn't blind to the fact that it's facing a serious financial deficit due to the reliance on fare revenue, which makes up about a quarter of the system's operational budget. This shortfall is despite the recent ridership uptick. The agency, however, is not standing idly; it plans to continue to roll out improvements in upcoming years to make the transit system more accessible and reliable. Projects on the line include an overnight express bus service, increased bus and Trolley frequencies, infrastructure rehabilitation on the Orange Line Trolley, and enhancements for a smoother transition to zero-emission vehicles.
